Vikings Plan on Keeping Adrian Peterson, G.M. Insists

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Adrian Peterson in 2013. The N.F.L. suspended Peterson last Nov. 18 and reinstated him April 17.CreditWesley Hitt/Getty Images North America

By Pat Borzi

April 28, 2015

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — For the first nine and a half minutes of a news conference previewing the N.F.L. draft, Minnesota Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman spoke at a lectern while occasionally glancing at a single sheet of notes, folded lengthwise, that he pulled from the pocket of his gray suit coat.

When the first question came up about Adrian Peterson, whose agent, Ben Dogra, has pestered the Vikings to trade him, Spielman never looked down. He had a ready answer.

“I think Coach Zimmer stated it pretty clear that we have no interest in trading Adrian Peterson, and we don’t,” Spielman said Tuesday.

Mike Zimmer said at the owners’ meetings in Phoenix last month that the team had no plans to trade Peterson, whose legal consequences from disciplining his 4-year-old son with a tree branch kept him off the field for all but the season opener. The N.F.L. suspended Peterson last Nov. 18 and reinstated him April 17.

“Our position has not changed since all the statements we made down at the owners’ meetings, O.K.?” Spielman said. “Adrian Peterson is under contract. His suspension was lifted. We’re looking forward to having Adrian Peterson back here as a Minnesota Viking in 2015. That’s the end of the story. That’s it.”

Or is it?

Two years ago, when speculation abounded that the Vikings might trade the troublesome wide receiver Percy Harvin, Spielman also noted Harvin was under contract before adding, “Again, there is no intent to trade Percy Harvin.”

A month later, Spielman, who loves collecting draft choices, shipped Harvin to Seattle for first- and seventh-round picks in 2013 and a third-rounder in 2014. Two of those players, cornerback Xavier Rhodes and running back Jerick McKinnon, played significant roles last season.

Peterson and Dogra, his agent, have done nothing to discourage the trade talk. In February, Peterson, a six-time Pro Bowl player, told ESPN he was “still uneasy” about returning to the Vikings because of the team’s response to his indictment on child abuse charges.

The Vikings deactivated Peterson for Week 2 and reinstated him the following Monday. Facing an overwhelming backlash from sponsors and fans, the team sought guidance from the league, which put Peterson on the commissioner’s exempt list, with pay. Peterson, speaking to ESPN, called that “an ambush.” After he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor reckless assault, the N.F.L. suspended Peterson without pay for violating its personal conduct policy.

At the owners’ meetings, Dogra told reporters: “I don’t think it’s in Adrian’s best interest to play in Minnesota. Why would it be?”

Last week, Dogra posted to Twitter a photo of himself seated in a black leather chair, wearing a Tampa Bay Buccaneers cap with a white Peterson No. 28 Vikings jersey draped behind him. The caption: “Game on.” Tampa Bay, Arizona and Dallas have been mentioned as possible destinations for the 30-year-old Peterson.

Spielman declined to criticize Dogra’s tactics. “I understand the business,” he said. “I’ve been in the business a long time. And I have the utmost respect for Ben Dogra.”

The timing puts the Vikings, 7-9 last season, in a tough spot. An effective Peterson shifts attention from the promising quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who threw for 2,919 yards and 14 touchdowns as a rookie. The team needs to sell tickets for its new stadium, rising in downtown Minneapolis and scheduled to open in 2016.

Neither of the running backs who filled in for Peterson, Matt Asiata and McKinnon, gained 600 yards, though Asiata scored nine touchdowns and McKinnon averaged 4.8 yards per carry.

“Adrian made a mistake,” Spielman said. “He’s paying the price for that mistake. But I think if our organization didn’t believe in Adrian Peterson, he probably still wouldn’t be here today.”

Peterson’s $12.75 million salary and $15.4 million cap hit remain the biggest deterrents to any deal. Under terms of the seven-year contract Peterson signed in 2011, he is owed $45 million the next three seasons — none of it guaranteed.

The Vikings have the 11th pick in the first round.

Correction:

An article on Wednesday about the Minnesota Vikings’ stated plan not to trade running back Adrian Peterson, despite his off-field problems and his displeasure with team management, misspelled the given name of a player who played a significant role for the team last season. He is Jerick McKinnon, not Jerik.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B12 of the New York edition with the headline: G.M. Insists the Vikings Plan to Keep Peterson. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe